... Do you like cooking, Phil?" "Not really.
I can't abide its cruelty."
"Cruelty, Phil?" "Right - you don't merely
Pop corns, you beat eggs, wilfully
Stone cherries, whip cream, chop and skewer,
Are happier when cheese is bluer-
And then there's batter, rack of lamb,
And squash and mace... ad nauseam.
No. Violence and exploitation
Of co-comestibles would be
A sin. My conscience troubles me
With delicate denunciation:
Far better not to cook, and starve
In purity, than baste and carve."

Vikram Seth, The Golden Gate